My Front Load Washer Is Not Draining

Front Load Washer

front load washer

Traditionally found in Europe and Asia, front load washers
have become very popular in North America.They are classified as being energy efficient
due the fact that they use less water than top load washers and they spin and
extract more water enabling for less energy to dry. However they are not without their fare share of technical problems one of which is the problem of not always draining properly.

Usually when a front load washer is not draining properly
the problem could be one of two things. Either the user has put in too much
soap or the pump is blocked. As stated before front load washers use very
little water so care must be taken to use the proper amount of soap. There are
special low sudding soaps specifically designed for front load washers. They
are marked with an (He) on the label.

Oversudding. You can tell when your washer is oversudded
when it goes through the rinse cycles and you still see a lot of soap suds
inside. The washer will continue to the end of the cycle without spinning. The
door probably will not open either due to the fact that there is still water
inside the machine.

Solution. Start the washer again but do not add any more
soap. Place the sitting on cold water only. When it gets to the rinse cycle simply pour a cup of fabric softener into
the soap compartment so that it goes down into the tub right away. Fabric
softener is designed to neutralize the chemicals in the soap in (cold water).

front load washer access panel

Pump problem. If the problem is not over sudding and the
washer is still not draining then the problem could be a water pump blockage. Front
Load washers are different than top load washers in that they generally use an
electric pump instead of a belt-driven pump. Electric pumps are less rugged
than belt driven pumps therefore it doesn’t take much to jam the impeller
inside.

Large items such as sox and underwear cannot pass through
the seals of a front load washer but smaller items such as hair pins, buttons,
and coins can. Also lint and loose fibers from clothes will also build up
inside the pump and eventually jam it. Most manufacturers of front load washers
recommend regular pump cleaning for optimum washer performance.

Solution. Most front load washers are designed with a pump
access panel in the front of the washer. Unplug the washer before proceeding. Pop
open the panel and un-screw the pump cover by hand. You might want to have some
rags and a small bucket on hand when you do as the water in the tub will come
out when you open the valve. Once you un-screw the pump valve and pulled it out
you should see whatever is blocking the impeller inside. Properly clear the
inside of all debris then use your finger to make sure the impeller turns
freely before re-assembling the valve cover.

On rare occasions the pumps impeller might be damaged or
broken off. In this case you will need to replace the entire pump assembly. For
situations like that you might want to call an expert. If you still wish to
continue yourself I would recommend that you remove the pump and take it with
you along with the model # of the washer to your local appliance parts
retailer.

For models that do not have a pump access cover you will
need to unscrew the front or the back panel of the washer depending on where
the pump is situated. Once you locate the pump the procedure is the same in most
cases. Some models do not have an unscrew-able valve so you will need to remove
the hoses in order to access the blockage inside.

Comments

No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.

sending

reaginsandra 7 weeks ago

To heidi- make sure you leave your front loader open any time u are not using it. Also, run vingegar through it each week (this can be done with a load or without) to clean it. Both will get rid pf the smell. Otherwise, no matter how much you wash stuff, the garments will always stink.

heidi 3 years ago

My LG front load washer wont drain eater out. All i use is "he" soap so i know its not that. The water has an awful foul smell to.it....but i cant see any clogs???? Suggestions?

Raymonde 5 years ago

Thank-you for posting these helpful hints,,,, probably just saved myself few hundreds dollars by doing it myself,,, ty ty ty

Mac31 6 years agofrom United States

Have you tried removing the cap on your water drain hose and drained the water out ? I had the same problem with my washer and drained the water and it was like new! If this doesn't help maybe you have something clogged in your pipe leaving your washer outside.